Chapter 1

As I stood at the wall of the park that overlooked Pilsen in the Czech Republic, I realized that I was hungry and that I should look for some lunch before hunting for the cemetery that I had come to find. I had set out that morning, driving from Frankfurt, Germany to the city of Pilsen in search of a cemetery where a very good friend of my sister’s had been buried six months before. She had died in a terrible accident back in the States, but her sister had wanted her to be buried back in her hometown in the Czech Republic. I did not know Becky very well, but her sister and my sister, Carol, were best friends.

When I had told Carol that I would be traveling to Frankfurt for business, she had asked me if I would consider driving over to the Czech Republic to pay my respects to Becky on behalf of her and Becky’s sister. Having been divorced eighteen months prior, I had no spousal commitment that would necessitate my hurrying home after finishing my business in Frankfort. I agreed to drive to Pilsen to see if I could find the cemetery and to lay flowers on the grave site. Now, standing at this overlook, map in hand, I decided to go into the city and have some lunch before continuing my search.

I found a café in town, parked, and went inside. After ordering, I opened the map that Carol had given me and was looking at the area that she had marked for the cemetery. It looked to be about sixty kilometers from Pilsen and would take me about an hour to reach. When my food came, I asked the waiter where I could find a florist in town. He gave me directions to a flower shop, and I made myself a mental note to stop there on the way to the cemetery to pick up some yellow roses. Carol had told me that yellow was Becky’s favorite color.

After lunch, I stopped at the florist, bought a dozen yellow long-stemmed roses, and headed for the cemetery. The cemetery was on the outskirts of a town called Nalzovy, which is where Becky and her sister Suzanne had grown up. When I arrived at the cemetery, I noticed another car parked close by, but did not pay much attention to it at the time. I grabbed the roses, buttoned up my coat and got out of the car.

When I reached the gate of the cemetery, I noticed that it was open. As I walked inside, I noticed a man standing over a grave site, looking down. I assumed he was a local, paying his respects to a family member or friend. Carol had told me the general area of the cemetery where Becky was buried, and I headed in that direction. As I was reading notes that Carol had given me about the location of the grave site, I noticed that I was getting closer to the gentleman.

He noticed my presence and looked over at me. He appeared to be English or even American like me, and strangely, he looked vaguely familiar. He waved at me and motioned me to come over. As I got closer to him, I noticed that he had a very puzzled look on his face as he was watching me walk over to him. As I looked at the headstone of the grave where he was standing, I was suddenly paralyzed. He was standing in front of Becky’s grave, and it appeared as if he had recently laid a bouquet of yellow flowers near her headstone.

“Hello, aren’t you Renee Alexander?” he asked.

“Yes, yes I am,” I replied. “And who are you, and what are you doing standing in front of Becky Stepanek’s grave site?” I asked.

“My name is Kevin, Kevin Naylor, and I was a good friend of Becky’s,” he replied.

“A good friend?” I asked, “Then why wouldn’t you just pay your respects at the funeral like most people?”

“Maybe, like you, I wanted to come see where she was buried, and pay my respect to her, much like what I assume you are doing,” he replied.

“Okay, but how did you know my name?” I queried, feeling a bit uneasy at his perceived familiarity with me.

“How about if we spend time paying our respects, and if you like, we can go back into town and get a cup of coffee. After we have had a chance to talk, I think things will be a bit clearer for both of us,” he said.

“Alright, but since I just got here, do you mind if I have some time alone with Becky? I will motion you back over when I am done, and you can return to pay your final respects,” I said.

Kevin agreed and walked away from the area where Becky’s family was buried, leaving me alone at the grave site.

I looked down and read the headstone. ‘Becky Stepanek’ ‘Born – Aug. 3, 1983 – Died – Feb. 19, 2018’. I bent down and laid my flowers on the grave, next to the ones Kevin had also put on the grave site. I stood up, bowed my head, and recited the Lord’s Prayer to myself. When I was done, I again looked at the headstone and began speaking.

“Becky, I hardly knew you at all. We only met a couple of times. You were the sister of my sister’s best friend, and Carol always spoke very highly of you. I am sorry that we never had an opportunity to get to know each other. You were a beautiful woman, an intelligent woman, and in your short time on Earth, quite an accomplished woman. While we shared several of the same friends, for some reason, we never got to spend much time together.

“Those friends always spoke very highly of you and were so saddened by your untimely death. Your memory is one that I trust they will always carry with them. Be at peace, Becky Stepanek, and know that you were loved and respected by many people. Goodbye.” With that, I turned to see where Kevin had moved off to and found that he was standing just a few feet behind me and had probably heard everything that I had just said.

“Were you eavesdropping on me while I was talking to Becky?” I asked him. He responded that he had been listening to me, to figure out why I was there. “Don’t you think that was a little rude, especially since I asked you to move away so that I could have some time by myself with Becky?”

“I am sorry,” he replied. “If you like, you can stand close by while I say my last remarks to Becky before we head back to town.”

I asked him if he liked the flowers that I had brought for Becky. He responded that he thought they were beautiful and that he knew that Becky was smiling right now, knowing that I took enough time and effort to find yellow flowers for her, as they were always her favorite. I moved over to where Becky’s parents were buried to say a short prayer for them. As I finished my prayer, Kevin began to speak.

“Becky, my love, as always, people are wanting to give you adulation for the life you led. This woman, Renee Alexander, who it appears you barely knew, has come all the way from the United States to pay her respects to your life. It is a testament to the life that you lived, as you touched so many lives with your kindness, your wit, and your beauty. Words can never truly express my feelings for you, though I tried many times while you were alive. Our life together had just barely begun, and yet we were so comfortable together. It was as if we had known each other for many years. Thank you for every bit of happiness that you gave me, and for all the wonderful memories I have of you, now that you are gone. I will miss you every day but promise to come back every year to see you and to remind you of just how much I loved you.

“Now, I must figure out why Renee Alexander is here as well. Perhaps you know, but I will ask her to tell me so that I may know the connection between the two of you. So long, Becky Stepanek, until I see you again ... I love you.”

I could see that he was crying, and I walked over and for some reason, put my arm around him. He responded by putting an arm around me as well and we stood there, staring at the grave site for what seemed like a long time. Finally, he moved away from me, took two flowers from the bunch that he had brought and laid one under each of Becky’s parent’s headstones.

We began walking back to our respective cars. As I got to my car, Kevin called my name. When I turned around, he took me in his arms and gave me a hug and thanked me for coming to visit Becky. He told me how much it meant to him, that Becky had touched me in such a way that I was moved enough to come see her. I told him that it was not exactly an original idea, but that I would explain more when we got back into town. He told me there was a café at the hotel where he was staying and that we could get something warm to drink there and talk.

It was beginning to cloud up and looked like it could begin snowing as we drove back into town. My plan had been to drive back to Germany tonight, where I still had a hotel room in Frankfurt. I figured I could spend an hour or so with Kevin and then drive back before it got too late. We arrived back in Pilsen and pulled up in front of an inn. We went inside and Kevin led me into the café, found a booth where we could sit and talk privately. We both ordered hot chocolate to drink.

He slid back against the back of the booth and asked, “So, who tells their story first? Maybe it should be ladies first?” I responded that I would be happy to go first as my story might be shorter than his, based on what I heard at the cemetery.

I began to tell him that my coming to Pilsen was a combination of two factors. I was self-employed as a business consultant and had clients all over the world. I was going to be in Frankfurt, working with one of my clients, so the trip to Europe was already part of the plan. I explained to him that Becky’s sister was my sister’s best friend and that Becky had recently begun spending time with our circle of friends, including my sister.

The period of time that Becky was beginning to be part of our group of friends, also happened to be when I was estranged from both my sister and our friends. This had been caused by the deterioration of my marriage. Because of this, I had very little contact with Becky, having only met her a couple of times.

However, when my sister found out that I would be in Frankfurt, she told me what had happened to Becky. Carol told me that after the funeral, Suzanne, Becky’s sister, had decided that Becky should be buried with their mom and dad back in the Czech Republic. Since I would be relatively close by, Carol suggested that I drive over and pay my respects since I had missed out on really knowing Becky when she had really become close to our circle of friends.

I had agreed to do so, and Carol gave me a map of Pilsen and the surrounding area and had marked the map with the location of the cemetery, as well as directions to the grave site within the cemetery. I told Carol that if Becky had meant that much to her and the rest of the group, then I would be happy to drive over and pay my respects. I told Kevin that finding him in the cemetery as well, standing at Becky’s grave site had really thrown me for a loop as I never expected to run into another person, let alone a fellow American, standing there grieving.

At that point, Kevin said he wanted a refill on his hot chocolate and asked if I wanted one as well. The hot chocolate tasted good, so I gave him my cup and he went to the counter to get refills. When he came back, he handed me my cup and then stared at me. He then told me that he now knew why I looked familiar to him when I walked into the cemetery.

He began explaining that he had known my circle of friends for several years as he had worked on many projects with Marcia. Marcia was sort of the ringleader of the group and was the glue that kept it together. Marcia and her partner Brenda were at a golf course one Saturday, looking for a couple of people to join up with for a round of golf. Carol and Suzanne had walked up and joined them for a foursome of golf and had been close friends ever since. Kevin told me that through Marcia, he had become good friends with my sister and her husband, Suzanne, and her husband, as well as Brenda and Marcia.

Kevin told me that he had been looking for someone to join him in his business and Marcia had suggested Becky to him. He interviewed Becky and found that she had a terrific mind for business, and he thought she would be someone to whom he could ultimately turn over his business. Becky was finishing her MBA and Kevin had arranged for her last semester to be a work-study semester. They had spent the semester working with a company, visiting their many global locations, and examining how to make the locations more successful.

After spending a semester with Becky while she was finishing her Masters, Kevin found that he was beginning to have romantic feelings towards her, and her for him. There was a rather large age difference between them, but there was a ‘magical’ feeling between them that they could not deny. They had several discussions about whether they should pursue a romantic relationship rather than a business relationship. Ultimately, they decided to move in together and were very happy as a couple. Unfortunately, Becky had been murdered in a hit and run ‘accident’ perpetrated by a man who had been stalking Becky for quite some time. I was so moved by these last events that I had tears running down my cheeks by the time Kevin had finished telling his story.

He pulled out his handkerchief and offered it to me to dry my eyes. I accepted it and apologized for crying. I used his handkerchief, drying my cheeks and my eyes and handed it back to Kevin. After looking at my watch, I realized that we had been sitting there for about three hours. It was beginning to get dark and I could see out the window that it was snowing. My plan to drive back to Germany that night was going by the wayside and I would have to figure out a Plan B.

“I didn’t realize we had been sitting here so long. I was planning to be back on the road to Germany by now,” I told Kevin.

“So, what are you going to do?” he asked me.

“I don’t know. I had not planned to stay over, as my clothes are all back in my hotel in Frankfurt, and I obviously don’t have a place to stay in town tonight,” I replied.

“Listen, I have a room reserved here for the night. Why don’t you stay in my room and I will talk to the manager about getting me a blanket and I will sleep down here in the lobby. You can get up early in the morning, get ready and come down here. I will go up to the room, grab a shower and you can have breakfast with me before you head back,” Kevin said.

“I cannot make you sleep down here in the lobby. You would wake up all sore and cramped. There is not even a piece of furniture you could comfortably sleep on for the night,” I told him.

“I know there are no vacancies here or anywhere else in town. I don’t think it would be wise for you to try to drive back now that it is dark and snowing. I would not be a gentleman if I let you set out on your own at this hour. Let me suggest one other alternative. I know we have just met, but we are both responsible adults here. I have two queen beds in my room, so why don’t you come stay in my room in the other bed. We can get a blanket or something from the manager and hang it between our beds so that you can have privacy,” Kevin said.

Now, I looked at him with suspicious eyes. He looked to be at least ten years older than me, if not more. He was acting the perfect gentleman, looking out for my welfare, but now he wanted me to come sleep in his room. It did not look like I had a lot of choices in the matter; driving back, as he said, would not be a good idea and there were no rooms left in town.

“I am sorry, but this may be your only alternative. Come up to the room and let us figure how to give you some privacy and maybe even build you a separate area within the room so you will feel safe and comfortable for the night. It’s either that, or I sleep down here in the lobby tonight,” Kevin said.

I was getting tired and knew that I really did not have any other choice but to try and make do the best I could. I could sleep in my clothes, get up early and get on the road back to Germany. “Let’s go up to the room and figure things out and then come back down here and have some dinner,” I told him.

“Renee, if there was any other way, I would certainly suggest it. I promise on Becky’s grave to be the perfect gentleman tonight,” Kevin told me.

I explained that I did not have any of my normal toiletries or even a change of clothes. He told me that the hotel had a small store and that I could buy the things I needed, like toothpaste, a toothbrush, etc. which I did.

When we arrived at his room, he unlocked the door, opened it, but then moved back so that I could go in first. I looked for the light switch and I could tell there was a lamp on in the room. There were, in fact, two queen-sized beds in the room, a desk, a chest of drawers with a TV on top of it and a nightstand in between the two beds. As we moved inside, he said that he could talk to the manager about getting a large blanket or two and running a line between the two beds to make separate areas. I told him that would not be necessary. We were two adults and I felt like I could trust him to behave himself. I told him I wanted to put my things in the bathroom and to use it before we went down to dinner.

Kevin moved to open the door and again, held the door open so that I could walk through first. We got to the elevator and the doors immediately opened. Again, he stepped aside and let me walk in first. As the elevator took us back to the lobby, I was thinking that this guy was the consummate gentleman and had been since I first met him.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked me. “You have such a pensive look on your face.”

“I was just thinking back on the events of the day and how all this is just a bit surreal. I mean, I hardly knew Becky, but came to pay my respects at the wishes of my sister and Becky’s sister, since I was on the continent,” I replied. We arrived back in the lobby and went back into the café. We walked over to a table and he pulled a chair out for me and let me sit down. Now, I was trying to decide whether he was just trying to impress me, or if this is just the way he was all the time.

There were menus on the table, and I picked one up and began to read over it. It was written in both Czech and English and was quite extensive. Kevin looked at me and suggested the goulash, which he had eaten the night before.

“A bowl of goulash and a glass of red wine will be perfect, if you want a recommendation,” he stated. “You do drink alcohol, don’t you, and you aren’t driving until the morning.”

“Sure, I love a glass of wine with dinner and perhaps it will help me sleep tonight. Why don’t you order us a bottle and I will have the goulash as you suggested,” I told him. The waiter came over and took our order and said he would be right back with the bottle of wine.

Soon after, the waiter brought a bottle of red wine and two glasses. He uncorked the bottle, let Kevin smell the cork and then poured him a small amount in his glass. Kevin handed me the glass and told me to taste it, to make sure that I liked it. I took a sip, held it in my mouth a moment and then swallowed. I could tell this was an excellent wine and told Kevin that I liked it. Kevin smiled and nodded to the waiter, who then poured glasses for each of us and moved away.

Our dinners came, and we ate, drank our wine, and talked about our respective jobs. After dinner he suggested a peach dumpling for dessert, which was delicious. The waiter brought the bill and I reached for my wallet to draw some cash to pay my half of dinner. Kevin raised his hand and said it was not necessary, that he was happy to pick up the tab for dinner. I told him he need not do that, but he insisted.

“It’s still pretty early, why don’t we get another bottle of wine and go up to the room and relax before calling it a night,” he said. “I want to hear more of the Renee Alexander story, while enjoying another glass of wine or two.”

The waiter brought his receipt, another bottle of wine that had been uncorked and two new glasses. Kevin got up first and came around quickly to pull my chair back for me. We went back up to the room and he invited me to have a seat on the sofa, while he sat at the chair that was at the desk. I told him it was not necessary to sit so far away, so he came over and sat on the sofa as well. He poured himself a glass of wine and asked me if I would like a glass as well. I told him it was fine, as I thought the wine was very good.

We sat and talked for what seemed like hours and somehow during the evening we managed to finish the bottle of wine. When I looked at the clock it was 2am and I knew I needed to get some sleep soon or I was going to struggle in the morning. I was tired and told him that I needed to get to sleep. He asked me if I wanted to wear one of his shirts to bed rather than the nice clothes I was wearing. He told me that he had both a tee shirt and a buttoned-down shirt that I could wear. Thinking that the tee would be more comfortable, I asked him for that.

He pulled a tee-shirt out of his luggage and handed it to me. Kevin told me to go ahead and use the bathroom first and he would turn down the two beds. He again asked if I wanted him to hang up a cord with blankets over it to separate our beds for privacy. I told him that I was so tired that I did not think it would matter, at this point.

I went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. I took my clothes off except for my panties and pulled his tee shirt over my head. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw that the tee-shirt was long enough to cover everything that needed to be covered. I did notice that he might be able to see my breasts through the shirt, but at that point I did not care as I did not want to sleep in my bra.